Barkar Nash (Page 895)

Says Thong Lor deal was above board

Srettha Thavisin, Pheu Thai Party’s prime ministerial candidate, said on Wednesday the property development firm he formerly headed, Sansiri Plc, bought a land plot in inner Bangkok transparently at market price.

He was adding to what Stock Exchange of Thailand-listed Sansiri has called “deliberate misinformation” spread by whistleblower Chuvit Kamolvisit that it made an illegal land purchase using nominees for its Khun by Yoo luxury condominium.

Mr Chuvit, a former massage parlour tycoon and politician, made the allegation on Tuesday. It was the second claim he has made about alleged malfeasance at Sansiri while Mr Srettha served as its chief executive.

Mr Chuvit claimed that unethical corporate behaviour allegedly approved by Mr Srettha made him an unsuitable candidate for prime minister. Mr Srettha is expected to be nominated in parliament by Pheu Thai to head a new coalition government within the next few days.

Mr Chuvit alleged that Sansiri used a company in which a housekeeper and a security guard were the shareholders to purchase land in the Thong Lor area in 2016. He said the nominee company took out a 1-billion-baht loan to pay a landowner 565 million baht for the land. No one appears to know what the rest of the money was spent on, he added.

The land plot was purchased at 1.1 million baht per square wah, which was its market price, Mr Srettha wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday.

In a statement to the SET, Sansiri also rejected allegations that the price paid to the seller, N&N Asset Co Ltd, had been misstated. The price reflected prevailing market values for the area, it added.

“It has been suggested that Sansiri purchased this plot of land at an inflated price and should have only paid 565 million baht for the plot, or 650,000 baht per square wah. This suggestion is baseless,” it said. “No landowners in Thong Lor would sell at this price.”

Mr Srettha also said his three-decade-long management of Sansiri had been recognised for good corporate governance, and he welcomed any investigation based on facts and good intentions.

On Tuesday, Mr Chuvit claimed the name of a housekeeper had been used as a previous buyer of the land plot.

The 38-year-old woman, identified only as Pinit, said she did not know of any land deal. She said she had worked in Bangkok about five years ago and was stunned upon learning her name had been linked to the alleged land transaction.

She denied she had worked as a housekeeper and said she had informed police in her native province, Maha Sarakham, of her innocence.

Sansiri said its land purchasing procedures conformed to legal requirements. “Every step is transparent and accountable,” it said.

The company also said its subsidiary, Arnawat Co Ltd, was not an existing creditor of N&N Asset. It attached a copy of the land mortgage contract that it filed with the Department of Lands.

Mr Srettha is already suing Mr Chuvit for 500 million baht for defamation over earlier comments about a land purchase by Sansiri on Sarasin Road in Bangkok.

Using pets as sacrifices for Khru Kai Kaeo, a deity represented by a gargoyle-like sculpture at a shrine in Bangkok, will make people liable to prosecution, the Watchdog Thailand Foundation (WDT) has warned.

The warning came on the back of growing concerns from pet lovers aghast at the news of worshippers obtaining cats, dogs and rabbits and using them as sacrificial animals.

In a Facebook post, the foundation said believers must think twice before they consider harming pets and using them as sacrifices to the half-human, half-mythical bird sculpture installed at the Ganesha shrine near Huai Khwang intersection.

Intentionally harming animals was a breach of the animal cruelty law, which carries a heavy penalty.

A relative of the sculptor of the Khru Kai Kaeo statue dismissed the rite of making animal sacrifices as a misinterpretation of the correct protocol.

The relative, whose name was not given, built the Ganesha shrine in Bang Yai district of Nonthaburi. He insisted that only fruits and sweets may be presented as offerings to Khru Kai Kaeo.

The sculpture made headlines when it was taken on the back of a truck from a studio in Ratchaburi to the Huai Khwang shrine on the morning of Aug 9. The truck was stuck at a pedestrian bridge, paralysing traffic on Ratchadaphisek Road for about two hours.

The sculpture’s unusual appearance sparked debate about what it represents. According to some believers, Khru Kai Kaeo, also known as Khru Ba Kai Kaeo, was the revered teacher of Jayavarman VII, a former king of the Khmer Empire.

Tongthong Chandransu, a history scholar, however, said he has never heard of this alleged teacher.

Although it is not against the law to worship a statue, the animal sacrifice craze shows how insecure many Thai people have become in their desperate search for spiritual support, he said.

Phra Phayom Kalayano, the abbot of Wat Suan Kaeo, urged people to analyse the information they find online.

Thai Labour Solidarity Committee (TLSC) has called on the caretaker government to consider revising a new regulation imposing income limits on the elderly receiving monthly allowances.

Signed by Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda, published in the Royal Gazette last Friday and made effective on Saturday, the regulation stipulates that only elderly people with no income or insufficient income to cover living costs are entitled to the monthly allowance from the state.

However, a provisional clause in the regulation says the new criteria for payment of the elderly allowance does not apply to people who registered for the allowance with local administrative bodies before Aug 12, 2023, meaning those currently receiving the allowance are not affected.

The regulation has sparked criticism that it has downgraded the country’s bid to build a universal welfare system for the elderly.

Upon submitting a petition to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha through the government’s public complaint centre, the TLSC said it encouraged the government to back down on the change.

“The regulation will ruin the existing principle of universal state welfare and instead bring back the same old state welfare system, which focused on only the poor and the underprivileged,” said TLSC chairman Sawit Kaewvarn.

The regulation has downgraded Thailand’s elderly welfare system to the state it was in 2009, during which poverty needed to be proved before elderly people were given allowances, he said.

He said this change is unconstitutional, against the international principle of human rights and will generate more problems.

He said the regulation would make work more complicated for state agencies responsible for implementing it.

If they instead followed the existing universal welfare system for the elderly, he said, it would be more convenient not only for the elderly but also for those state agencies handling the monthly allowance payment.

Of the 12 million or so elderly people in the country, the vast majority are aged 60 to 69, he said.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is ordering schools in the capital to follow preventive measures for hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and dengue fever since the viruses have become widespread among school kids.

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday presided over an event at Wichuthit School in Din Daeng district to promote hygiene and virus prevention in schools.

He said the number of HFMD cases is five times higher than last year. They have been found mostly in daycare centres and among children aged under five.

Most HFMD cases are found to have fevers in the first three days before they develop rashes on their hands, feet and in the mouth. No HFMD deaths have been found this year.

If many classes are found to have HFMD, RSV and dengue cases, which are all highly transmissible diseases, the schools must temporarily close down.

They can be treated at home in 5-7 days, but young kids who do not receive treatment early might develop threatening symptoms.

Authorities will draw up a list of policies which they hope will boost economic activity and growth across the 14 provinces in the South over the next four years.

The plan was unveiled at a discussion between the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC) and Thailand Chamber of Commerce (TCC), led by SBPAC deputy secretary-general, Chonthun Sangpoom, and TCC deputy chairman, Wattana Thanasakcharoen.

The talks focused on the region’s economic development — in particular, in the deep South, which has the lowest income per capita in the region and possibly the entire country, said Mr Chonthun.

He attributed the disparity to security conditions which are unique to the South and have hampered efforts to develop the region.

Mr Chonthun said those present agreed to come up with a new strategy. It includes a plan for a “Food Innopolis”, a hub for halal food research and production, which would appeal to the wider Southeast Asian region.

The hub will be connected to other research and production hubs along the Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore corridor, as well as in China, Japan and Indonesia.

“Key to this strategy’s success is the involvement of the private sector, with local authorities acting as facilitators,” he said.

Mr Wattana said the strategy is in line with TCC’s outlook for the region and will help elevate people’s quality of life.

TCC will support SBPAC’s attempt to promote the development of trading, agriculture and food production, as well as tourism and hospitality in the region, he added.

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt has ordered all district offices in Bangkok and the City Law Enforcement Department to speed up processing times for foreign film shoot applications.

Applications for shoots in public areas should be processed within three days or seven days for public parks.

Mr Chadchart said yesterday that Tourism Department director-general Chaturon Phakdiwanich had raised complaints by foreign filmmakers with City Hall that shooting productions in Bangkok were made difficult by official protocol.

Many claimed the application process takes a long time and is not structured clearly.

Mr Chadchart said existing application procedures left the door open to bribery and such misconduct hurts the country’s reputation.

According to the governor, Mr Chaturon also said that some foreign film crews were fined by officials from the City Law Enforcement Department in Ratchathewi and Pathumwan districts even though they had applied for a production permit in Bangkok.

The officials claimed the filmmaking crew had obstructed pavements and traffic.

Also, filming applications in 51 parks under the BMA’s Environment Department and Sanam Luang should take seven days to process.

However, filmmakers will be charged 6,000 baht per day for commercial TV shows and 3,000 baht for commercial photoshoots, Mr Chadchart said.

The Move Forward Party (MFP) will submit an urgent motion asking the House of Representatives to pass a resolution seeking a public referendum on rewriting the constitution.

MFP list-MP Parit Wacharasindhu said yesterday the proposed referendum would ask people if they agree with setting up a charter-rewriting assembly, with members publicly elected to draft a new constitution.

He said two key elements must be addressed — whether the charter should be entirely rewritten and if the writing body should be directly elected.

He said these are the questions put forward in the opposition-sponsored motion approved by the House of Representatives last November that the Senate shot down.

Mr Parit said the party has been campaigning for a rewrite of the 2017 charter because it lacks legitimacy and contains several flaws that have led the country into a political crisis.

If the resolution is passed by parliament, the cabinet will be asked to arrange the referendum. He said that if people agree with entirely rewriting the charter, three rounds of referendums are required.

The MP said he hopes other parties pledging to amend the charter will support the motion so the issue can be debated, even though the Senate can still reject it. He insisted the charter rewrite would not change the country’s governing system, when quizzed about critics’ concerns that Chapters 1 and 2 could be affected.

Chapter 1 contains sections defining Thailand as a single, indivisible kingdom with a democratic regime and the King as the head of state. Chapter 2 contains sections pertaining to the royal prerogatives.

According to the MP, Section 255 of the current charter prohibits changing the country from a democracy with the king as head of state and the type of state from a single state.

“Whenever a new charter was written in the past, Chapters 1 and 2 were revised, but it didn’t lead to a change in the governing system. Moreover, the charter allows changes to be made to the two chapters, but not without a referendum,” he said.

Ageing society needs a different approach

Thailand needs to make elderly care a national agenda item with integrated approaches adopted to ensure senior people get the care they need regardless of where they live, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

The nation is already a fully-fledged aged society, with the elderly demographic now standing at around 13.5 million, or 20% of the population, said Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

This year has been dedicated to preparing Thailand for how to cope more efficiently with the challenges associated with ageing.

Efforts to protect their rights will be improved and resources pooled and exploited more efficiently, Mr Anutin said.

Certain laws, for instance, will be amended to allow more migrants to work in sectors facing a labour shortage. The amendments will also help retirees continue working where appropriate, he said.

“Not all retired people have to stop working and stay home doing nothing. Neither do they have to work as hard as they used to when they were young and risk hurting their health in a work-related accident,” said Dr Thongchai Keeratihuttayakorn, director-general of the Department of Medical Services.

Regular health checks can measure elderly workers’ ability to keep working safely.

Existing funds and new sources of financing will be managed together to create jobs and build more elderly care facilities designed for local communities across the country, Dr Thongchai said.

Community- and home-based care and telemedicine services also will play a key role in Thailand’s elderly care in the years to come.

These are the responsibility of various state agencies including the National Health Security Office and local administrative organisations nationwide.

A state-run sheltered home for the elderly will be opened in every tambon nationwide to take those who do not have anyone to look after them at home, said Mr Anutin.

MFP will try to reprise Pita motion

The next round of voting for a prime minister is likely to take place on Tuesday after the Constitutional Court yesterday dismissed the Ombudsman’s petition on the rejected renomination of Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat.

The court’s unanimous decision is seen as clearing the way for the process to select a new leader to proceed. The selection was on hold pending the court’s ruling on parliament’s decision on July 19 to reject Mr Pita’s renomination.

Citing the court’s decision, parliament president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said yesterday parliament’s rejection of Mr Pita’s renomination is considered valid but parliament’s legal team will meet today to study the court’s decision.

He would then meet parties and senators to discuss the vote.

He said a prime ministerial candidate is not legally required to outline his vision before parliament although some senators have demanded Pheu Thai’s Srettha Thavisin to do so and address questions they may have.

The two prime ministerial candidates on offer in 2019, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, did not present their vision before the vote, said Mr Wan.

In dismissing the petition brought via the Ombudsman, the court said the three petitioners were not directly affected by parliament’s decision. The complainants were Pornchai Theppanya and Boonsong Chalaythorn, who both voted for the MFP in the May 14 general election. Another complainant was MFP MP Panyarut Nuntapusitanon.

They said parliament’s rejection of Mr Pita’s renomination affected their constitutional rights. They also sought a court order for parliament to put off the vote pending its ruling.

However, the court said the prime minister is selected under Section 272 and Section 159 of the charter and any candidate put forward must be nominated under Section 159.

In this case, the three petitioners were not named as prime minister candidates by any party and were not nominated for the vote in parliament either, so their rights were not directly affected.

Shortly after learning of the ruling, Mr Pita said he would not a file a fresh petition with the court because he believed the matter should be settled by parliament, not the court.

MFP MP Rangsiman Rome said the party would submit a motion asking parliament to review its rejection of Mr Pita’s renomination again.

He said the party’s move was not an attempt to create political trouble and he expected parliament to correct its mistake.

“This is a matter of principle. We’re not doing it for our own gain or to have Mr Pita renominated.

“A prime minister candidate, regardless of the party, will benefit from this motion except those who have a hidden agenda,” he said.

With the prime minister voting coming up, Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul reiterated yesterday that negotiations over the allocation of cabinet seats should take place before the vote.

He denied reports the party and Pheu Thai could not reach an agreement on the distribution of positions, but said the party should be allowed to continue working in ministries it holds now for the sake of continuity.

Meanwhile, the court yesterday also gave the MFP and its leader another 30 days to give a statement in a case that could lead to the party’s dissolution.

The case was filed by Theerayut Suwankesorn, a lawyer well known for his defence of Suwit Thongprasert, an ex-activist monk formerly known as Phra Buddha Isara.

Mr Theerayut asked the court to rule if the MFP’s policy on Section 112 of the Criminal Code, better known as the lese majeste law, was an attempt to overthrow the constitutional monarchy.